Explore Wild New York

The Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 2,180-acre preserve through which flow the upper reaches of Canadaway Creek. The area consists of a mix of deeply wooded hills, numerous wetlands, and several ponds.

The area is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, and it provides opportunities for numerous outdoor activities. Popular activities here include cross-country skiing (trail and free-form),hiking, horseback riding, and picnicking (please don't litter). The diverse habitat supports numerous game species, including deer, grouse, mink, fox, and rabbit, making the area popular with hunters and trappers. For the fisherman, there are several small ponds that hold modest-sized bass and panfish, and stocked brown trout and limited numbers of wild rainbow trout are found in Canadaway Creek. This area is also popular with birders, and over 140 species of birds have been identified here. For a list of bird species seen in this WMA, click on eBird List under Links.

The map pin is located on Dibble Hill Road, a restricted-access gravel road that runs through the eastern portion of the WMA. This is the principal hiking trail in the eastern portion of the WMA, and several trails run off this. The north section of the Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trail (see Links) runs through this WMA.

A great way to learn about and explore areas such the Canadaway Creek WMA is to join a local hiking club. One club that I belong to is the Niagara Frontier Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (see Links). Don't let the name mislead you, we don't hike just in the Adirondacks. Our chapter hikes, paddles, and skis mostly in western New York. I've led numerous hikes for our chapter, and we always have a great time.

For additional information and a map from the DEC, see Links.

Location Map

View Nearby Locations

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Photographs

The trails in the Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area are very popular with hikers. Pictured here is a group from the Adirondack Mountain Club. We were hiking along the backbone trail (shown on some maps as Dibble Hill Road), which traverses the eastern portion of the wildlife management area and connects to the Eastside Overland Trail.

I was hiking with some friends in this wildlife management area on a hot day in June when we heard a commotion just off the trail. We quickly spotted this female ruffed grouse, which are found in the younger portions of the woodlands in this area. Very vocal and feigning a broken wing, she was doing everything she could to lead us away from her nest and led us on for about 200 feet. It's rare to see these birds so close for so long. (See link for additional information and calls.)

Several small ponds in the Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area provide fishing for small pan fish and occasionally bass. Managed primarily as habitat for waterfowl and other birds (note the bird houses located along the shore at right), they also provide excellent settings for outdoor photography and hiking.

The section of Canadaway Creek within the wildlife management area is stocked in the spring with brown trout and brook trout. Most of these fish are gone by early summer due to warm water temperatures or being caught by anglers, but a few fish occasionally survive longer in large pools fed by springs. I've seen trout here as late as mid-July.

This small pond is tucked away in a seldom visited section of the Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area. I've seen many bullfrogs and fish here.

This is one of three ponds found within the WMA; it is located a short distance west of the backbone trail. The panfish and small bass found here make this a popular location for introducing children to the pleasures of fishing.

One of numerous trails that wend through the WMA, this trail runs from the backbone trail (Dibble Hill Road) to Bard Road. This trail is especially beautiful in the fall, and the scent of wet earth and fallen leaves can be intense.

Camping is not allowed in most wildlife management areas, including Canadaway. However, immediately adjacent to the Canadaway Creek WMA is a parcel of county-owned land. The Eastside Overland Trail runs through this parcel and is directly connected to the trails in the WMA. Several Adirondack-style lean-tos have been constructed along the trail by the county to encourage public use of this area.

This small, picturesque pond is located south of Bard Road, behind the DEC maintenance building. Bullfrogs, beavers, and birds are easily spotted along the shore, and I suspect largemouth bass are also present.

The forest floor of this wildlife management area abounds in wildflowers in the spring. Spring ephemerals such as trilliums, violets, various anemones, hepatica, and bloodroots herald the coming of warm weather. Seen here is a jack-in-the-pulpit.

Resource Map

See Location Map (above) and DEC map under Links.

Driving Directions

Access

Road Access:

Eight state-maintained trailheads and parking areas are located within the wildlife management area (WMA). To access the portion of the WMA located south of Bard Road, you should park along Bard Road near the DEC maintenance building so you don't block their vehicles.

The WMA can also be accessed from a county-maintained trailhead and parking area on Burnham Road. This section of the Eastside Overland Trail runs through a parcel of county-owned property and into the WMA. The last time I was down this trail it ended at an Adirondack lean-to.

Boat Launch Site(s):

None.

Weather

View current conditions at this location

Fishery Management

Fish Species:

Rainbow Trout (wild)
Brown Trout (stocked)
Largemouth Bass
Panfish

Stocking Information: See Canadaway Creek.

Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area